News

Flag Day honored at Andrews
June 19, 2008 — Americans love their flag. On Flag Day, we are not honoring only the flag, but what it symbolizes. We are honoring freedom. We are honoring the freedom to worship as we please, to speak as we please and to vote as we please. We are honoring the hardworking men and women who have made this the greatest and most successful country that the planet has... MORE

Members from the 316th Wing Staff form up for reveille in honor of National Flag Day on June 13. Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States originating in 1777. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Steven R. Doty)

Youth Center coach named Coach of the Year
June 18, 2008 — A Team Andrews member won the Jr. National Basketball Association and Women's NBA coach of the year award in a nationwide competition. Tech. Sgt. Pitman Kennedy is the 79th Medical Operation Squadron NCO in charge of pediatric records and a volunteer basketball coach at the Youth Center. "The Jr. NBA/WNBA award is difficult to earn and it's a... MORE

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. -- Pitman Kennedy, right, talks to his team at the Youth Basketball Camp on at the Andrews Youth Center as assistant coaches Steve Wilcox, Carlos Rance and Vince Jones look on. Coach Kennedy was selcted as one of the Coaches of the Year for the Jr. National Basketball Association and Women's NBA in a nationwide competition.

Andrews deployed Airman helps morale
June 18, 2008 — A genuine caring attitude drives the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Airmen who continuously work to improve the MWR facilities and events for Airmen and Soldiers here. Assigned to the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team, two of the three MWR Airmen arrived in March to discover a facility infrequently used with no activities or events to... MORE

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Tech. Sgt. Diane Schmitt, Staff Sgt. Beverly Simpson and Staff Sgt. Laura Dewey (from left to right), Laghman PRT MWR, stand outside the morale, welfare and recreation building here. The three Airmen have continuously worked on improving both the building and the events and activities. (U.S. Air Force photo br Master Sgt. James Law)

Andrews Federal Credit Union gives predatory lending tips
June 18, 2008 — Those in the market for a loan may be aware that some products are more attractive than others. However, a few have such poor terms, fees, and interest rates that they are considered predatory. With a little research, people can avoid predatory lending by knowing what to look for when shopping for a loan. For mortgage loans, predatory lending is... MORE

316 CE renovates pool bathhouses
June 12, 2008 — The bath houses at the base pool have been newly renovated and open for use since May 24. Tech. Sgt. Miguel Rodriguez, 316 Civil Engineer Squadron Simplified Acquisition Base Engineering Requirements (SABER) project manager, and his team have been hard at work finishing the Gateway pool's bath houses just in time for the summer season. "We've been... MORE

Airman 1st Class Alexander Sidawi, 744th Communications Squadron radio maintenance apprentice, takes a dip in the base pool June 7. There have been many upgrades to the base pool to include a new bath house, helping to create an even more comfortable environment.

Airman extinguishes fire
June 6, 2008 — MORE

ANDREWS AFB, Md. -- Airman 1st Class Vincent Lewis uses a fire extinguisher to eliminate a fire in a 1974 Chevy Nova in front of Chapel 3 May 26. Airman Lewis quickly responded to the scene and extinguished the car fire prior to emergency personnel arriving, preventing a potentially deadly situation. Airman Lewis is assigned to the 316th Mission Support Squadron Military Personnel Flight. ( U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Steven Doty)

School liaison officer develops unique pilot program
June 6, 2008 — Cynthia Nunes-Taijeron is working on a pilot program that addresses challenges faced by military-connected students at Stephen Decatur Middle School in Clinton, Md. "As a result of last year's town hall meeting on education, we had a lot of folks who raised concerns about what schools are doing for military-connected children," said Ms... MORE

Base receives hail, damages vehicles, structures, aircraft
June 6, 2008 — Andrews received its first hailstorm of the year Saturday."A majority of the damage occurred on the East side of the base," said Staff Sgt. Donald E. Harshman, 316th Security Forces Squadron Law Enforcement Administration NCO. The hardest hit areas were the 113th Wing and Naval Air Facility Washington. "As of Wednesday, there were 15 privately... MORE

Airman & Family Readiness Center provides spouse orientation
June 6, 2008 — Nina Sargent, Spouse Orientation: Heart Link coordinator is enthusiastic about welcoming spouses to the area. She knows first-hand how valuable the spouse orientation can be -- as wife of Coast Guard Lieutenant J.G. Nathaniel Sargent, Office of the Assistant Commandant for Operations staff officer, she attended the Airman and Family Readiness... MORE

79 MDG undergoes three simultaneous inspections
June 2, 2008 — The 79th Medical Group had three major inspections back to back May 19 to May 23. The Air Education and Training Command Phase II Enlisted Training Evaluation Team was the first to inspect the 79 MDG. This team evaluated seven Phase II medical training programs. The Air Force Inspection Agency, Health Services Inspection Team also arrived May 19... MORE

Andrews Officers' Spouses Club awards scholarships
June 2, 2008 — The Andrews Officers' Spouse's Club held its annual scholarship banquet at the Thrift Shop recently to recognize 10 outstanding students in the community. "It's one of the best opportunities that we, in the officers' spouse's club, have for community outreach," said Dianna Ackerley, AOSC honorary president and wife of Col. Paul R. Ackerley, 316th... MORE

First base community yard sale May 31
May 27, 2008 — Liberty Park at Andrews recently announced that residents will havethe opportunity to shop for and sell used treasures at its firstcommunity yard sale in base housing from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 31."The community yard sale is important to the Andrews community becausewe do anticipate that the (Permanent Change of Station) season will bein full-swing... MORE

JSOH 08 soars, roars with record crowds
May 27, 2008 — The 2008 Joint Service Open House marked the 60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift with approximately 250,000 visitors over three days. Both the Secretary of the Air Force and the German ambassador spoke at the opening ceremony Saturday. "The Berlin Airlift displayed a U.S. dedication to a stable and prosperous rule of law and international... MORE

A crowd walks through the C-5 Galaxy at the 2008 Joint Service Open House hosted by Andrews Air Force Base, Md., May 17th. This year?s event will have demonstrations by the Navy Blue Angels and the Army's Golden Knights. Once again the JSOH will host a wide variety of both military and civilian air and ground demonstrations. To include the Air Force's newest and the world's most advanced fighter jet, the F-22A Raptor. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Suzanne M. Day)

Five AFOSI agents added to Hall of Heroes
May 27, 2008 — Brig. Gen. Dana Simmons, Air Force Office of Special Investigationscommander, presided over a memorial ceremony for the Air Force Officeof Special Investigations Hall of Heroes on May 13.The ceremony honored five agents lost during actions in OperationIraqi Freedom in the past year. Special Agents Ryan Balmer, MatthewKuglics, Thomas Crowell, Nathan... MORE

Famed 'Candy Bomber' reflects on Air Force heritage at 2008 Joint Service Open House
May 27, 2008 — An Air Force legend who sweetened the lives of thousands of children during the Berlin Airlift appeared here for the 2008 Joint Service Open House. Col. (ret.) Gail Halvorsen, affectionately known as the "Candy Bomber" received his nickname for dropping candy tied to parachutes from his C-54 Skymaster to children in 1948 and 1949. The colonel and... MORE

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. -- Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, shakes hands with a fellow member of the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation at the Joint Service Open House here May 18. Colonel Halvorsen earned the nickname the "Berlin Candy Bomber" for dropping more than 20 tons of candy to local children in Berlin, Germany, between 1948 and 1949. The BAHF showcased the C-54E transport aircraft dubbed, "The Spirit of Freedom." The foundation is dedicated to preserving the memory and legacy of a key humanitarian and aviation historical event, The Berlin Airlift. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Amaani Lyle)

School children visit base for Joint Service Open House
May 27, 2008 — More than 5,000 students and chaperones from area schools visited Andrews for the Joint Service Open House May 16 and had a special behind the scenes look at aircraft and other military vehicles. "To be exact, we had 4,294 children and 786 chaperones, from 79 area schools including our feeder schools Francis T. Evans Elementary School and Dr. Henry... MORE

'101 Critical Days of Summer' begin Monday
May 27, 2008 — The cold weather is passing and summer is almost here. Along with warm weather come all the things that people do in search of summer fun such as baseball, cookouts, jogging, swimming and vacations. As the warm weather and summer activities increase, so does potential for accidents. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known to the Air... MORE

Wing chaplain delivers invocation for Congress
May 12, 2008 — Last week, Congressman Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) introduced Lt. Col. (Ch.) Paul Sherouse, 316th Wing chaplain, during the congressional proceeding at the United States House of Representatives. Chaplain Sherouse was invited to deliver the day's invocation as guest chaplain. "Madam Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to welcome Lt. Col. Paul... MORE

1 HS show spouses their appreciation
May 12, 2008 — Today marks Military Spouse Appreciation Day and the 1st Helicopter Squadron did just that during a recent spouse flight over the nation's capital. "This is an official Air Force program," said 1st Lt. Nate Jones, 1 HS Assistant Current Operations Flight chief. "The USAF conducts orientation flights to ensure a better understanding of a particular... MORE

BCMR holds conference to provide updates to attendees
May 12, 2008 — The Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records recently held a conference here to update the board's associates on the military records process. "The purpose of the conference was to provide training and disseminate information on issues pertinent to the correction of military records process," said Daryl Lawrence, a case examiner for the... MORE

'Kids serve, too!' message brought to Capitol
May 5, 2008 — In commemoration of Month of the Military Child, the National Military Family Association recently invited military members and their families from local installations, including twenty-eight parents and children from Andrews, to the Capitol to meet with legislators and tour the historic facility. Ranging from kindergarten to the eighth grade, the... MORE

Seminar teaches couples talking without conflict
May 5, 2008 — Couples who want to learn how to better communicate and handle marital conflict will have the opportunity at the upcoming Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program seminar to be held at the Airman and Family Readiness Center on Saturday."The Preventive Relationship Enhancement Program is a research-based program created by the University of... MORE

Spraying Notice
April 25, 2008 — Aerial spraying to mitigate Gypsy Moths on Andrews AFB will take place on Tuesday from 6 to 8 a.m. The rain date is Wednesday. In conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, the 316th Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight is coordinating this aerial spray operation to mitigate a Gypsy Moth infestation of approximately 215 acres to include... MORE

MGMC introduces the Traumatic Stress Response Team
April 25, 2008 — Over the past several years the Andrews community has been fortunate to not have any large scale aircraft mishap, or a base wide traumatic event that would affect a large number of individuals. This positive outcome is a result of outstanding personnel performance by base safety, security and readiness and vigilant community members. As members of... MORE

AFDW holds 2007 annual awards banquet
April 25, 2008 — Against the backdrop of a slideshow with inspiring images from around the National Capital Region and a musical show featuring the U.S. Air Force Band's "Max Impact" performing a crowd-favorite "Locked and Loaded," the winners of the Air Force District of Washington's annual awards were in the spotlight at a banquet held in the Bolling Club April... MORE

Joint Base Andrews News